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Topamax side effects.

Fri, 09/15/2017 - 21:54
Hello everyone! My name is Rianna, I am 27 years old and I was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 16. This is my first ever post on this forum and I am brand new to the site. I am currently being prescribed 200 mg of topamax, and to be even more specific I am actually taking the slow-release capsule of topamax called Trokendi-XR. This is due to the fact that taking the straight topamax would give me awful side effects such as aphasia, extreme fatigue and irritability, spacing out, etc. Even though I am taking the slow-release capsules I am still experiencing some of these awful side effects. I would like to know if anyone else here has taken topamax, or trokendi for that matter, and what your experience has been with it. I would greatly appreciate some feedback, I do not know anyone else in my personal life that struggles with epilepsy.

Comments

All seizure medications have

Submitted by Attilathemom on Sun, 2017-09-24 - 07:35
All seizure medications have side effects. However they effect everyone differently and what is a great medication for one person can be a nightmare for someone else. I started on Lamotrigine and turned into a raving lunatic who at times wanted to kill myself and everyone around me (FYI before I started to have seizures I was the most even tempered person around). I was finally switched to Topomax and then XR and walked around like a drugged up zombie and my seizures got worse. I am now on Keppra which is a nightmare for a lot of people but it just makes me tired which I can live with. That is the key, can you live with the side effects?  If the answer is no then tell your doctor you want to change meds. If they won't change, find another doctor. These meds effect everyone differently and sometimes the side effects do not go away. Be strong and find the medicine that is best for you. 

I was diagnosed with Epilepsy

Submitted by christyb on Fri, 2017-09-29 - 21:40
I was diagnosed with Epilepsy in Nov. 2016. Started with an IV of Keppra to stop my wacked out brainwaves, and left the hospital with rx for Keppra , don't remember the dosage, but I do remember not being able to speak. After a couple of weeks and not getting much better at being able to communicate, my neuro switched me to Topamax. Before my 'big seizure' in November, I had ADD, and my mind was so full of thoughts, I had trouble getting hold of the and getting them out. Fast forward to now, after building up to 200g of Topamax daily, for 10 months, my brain feels like it is empty, with a fleeting thought here and there that I can barely grasp. Routine things are okay, but when I have to really think about something, or follow new directions, it is very difficult for me to comprehend. I used to consider myself a sharp person. Now, not so much. I also have swelling in my skull, so the topamax treats that also.If it weren't for the swelling, and my sulfur allergy, which limit the meds I can take, I would probably switch to something that didn't affect my cognition. There are lots of other drugs out there. I know several others who switched from Topamax because of the side effects you mentioned. My friends daughter was not able to do her math after a few weeks on it. The nickname for this drug in the medical field is dopamax....:) My neuro told me just this morning that some of his patients are switching to Trokendi and having less side effects. I am going to give it a try, just picked up my new prescription tonight.  I have complex focal seizures, and they are increasing in frequency. I usually have 1 a week, and it seems like lately, I have them at the grocery store, in the frozen food isle. My neuro thinks light can trigger my seizures. Hope you get it all straightened out.

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